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Development of Flexible On-line Arabic Language Training at Deakin University, Australia.
Author: Mr. Abdel-Hakeem Kasem
School of International and Political Studies,
Faculty of Arts Deakin University
221 Burwood Highway
Burwood (Melbourne), Victoria, Postcode: 3125
Telephone Business: (03) 9244 3915 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm)
Facsimile: (03) 9244 6755
About the author:
Abdel-Hakeem Kasem, M.A (applied linguistics, Monash University).
The focus of Kasem’s research activities is on Arabic language
and culture studies, and cross-cultural communication. Kasem has
contributed articles to national and international conferences on
issues related to language and culture studies, cross-cultural
communication, and applied linguistics. He has also conducted research
on the cultural dimension of Australia’s trade with the ME.
Furthermore, over the past decade, Mr Kasem has taken an active role in
promoting the ME as one of Australia’s major trading partners
through his long term involvement with the Australia Arab Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, Austrade, and many other peak business
organisations. He has also contributed significantly to broader
scholarship in the field through his position as chief editor of the Journal of Arabic, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies
(JAIMES) (1993 - 2000), and through his involvement with the
Australasian ME Studies Association. As chief editor of JAIMES he has
coordinated research in contemporary and historical issues such as art,
language and culture, literature, business and trade, political
economy, history and politics, religion, gender, ethnicity, demography
and diplomacy.
Publications:
Kasem, A. (2005), ' The Effect of
Focus on Form in the Accuracy Rate of the Acquisition of Noun-Adjective
Agreement in the Written Work of Adult Learners of Arabic’, Journal of Language and Linguistics. Rabat, Morocco.
Kasem, A, (2002) Initiatives in Language and Cross-Cultural Communication for Business and the Community’, International Journal of Social Sciences, V10, N1, pp. 71-84, Canada.
Kasem, A, (2002) ‘Linguistic Influences in L2 Learning: The Case of Arabic Negation System’, International Journal of Social Sciences, V10, N4, pp. 421-444, Canada.
Kasem, A., (2000), ‘The Acquisition of English Copula by Native Speakers of Lebanese Arabic’,
in Ibrahim, Z., et al (eds), Diversity in Language: Contrastive Studies
in English and Arabic Theoretical and Applies Linguistics., The
American University of Cairo and New York.
Kasem, A. & Mansouri, F. (1998), ‘An Integrated Approach to the Teaching of Diglossic Languages in a Foreign Setting: The Case of Arabic’, The Journal of Arabic, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 4, No.2, pp:47-68.
Kasem, A, (1988), The Educational Needs and Interests of Arabic Speaking Young Adults, Report commissioned by the Council of Adult Education, Melbourne.
Arabic is identified as a priority language in many Australian
government reports and is seen as a language of strategic importance to
Australia’s national interest. Relatively recent
global events that have highlighted the geo-political importance of the
Middle East combined with greater awareness of the business
opportunities available in the Arabic-speaking world have pushed demand
for Arabic language training beyond the confines of government and
academic environments and into the wider community.
Unfortunately, Arabic is only taught at five of Australia’s
leading tertiary institutions – the Australian National
University, Deakin University, Melbourne University, the
University of New South Wales and the University of Western Sydney
– and all of the programs offered at these institutions are
delivered under a traditional on-campus delivery format.
While appropriate for some audiences, traditional on-campus delivery
formats often are not convenient for business owners, professionals,
consultants, government workers, diplomats and other full-time
employees requiring Arabic language training. There is a
demonstrated need in Australia for accredited Arabic language courses
delivered under a flexible delivery format conducive to the schedule of
these types of learners rather than the timetables of institutions.
In line with Deakin’s policies and the Faculty of Arts support in
respect to flexible online delivery of Arabic courses, the on-line
capabilities of the Arabic Program have been developed over the past
two years through a grant from the Faculty of Arts Strategic Fund in
October 2004 which allowed the Arabic staff to develop on-line course
material for the university’s first-year unit of Arabic.
This has proved to be a valuable tool in the teaching of Arabic and
offers several features (such as automatic correction and good options
for interactivity in exercises) that are beneficial to language study.
The results of this on-line development have been very satisfactory for
both educators and students alike.
In June 2005, the Faculty of Arts submitted an application to the
Council of Australia Arab Relations (CAAR) for a small funding grant to
further develop the on-line capabilities of the Arabic program. CAAR is
considered as an appropriate sponsor for this project as it is
consistent with the Council objectives in general and the educational
objectives in particular. The Council expressed strong interest in the
project and supported the concept and the rationale behind it and
decided to provide a small grant.
This project has been designed to address the need to develop, offer
and deliver Arabic online units through WebCT software. This
innovative and unique project for teaching both Arabic language and
culture will utilise cutting-edge technology and course-tool
applications in an asynchronous mode. The studying online
learning experience will be totally interactive, providing
participating students with immediate feedback on their work. It
will also provide opportunities for interaction through email,
discussion boards and chat rooms, enabling students to communicate
regularly and frequently with their tutors and fellow classmates for an
enhanced learning experience.
The principal objectives of this project include:
- To maximize the potential reach of the
Deakin University Arabic program outside the Melbourne campus and
beyond the metropolitan area, thereby eliminating geographical barriers
that currently prevent interested students from studying Arabic
language, history and culture;
- Provide potential students with a flexible, online delivery service that better meets their Arabic language training needs;
- To enable students to access learning materials whenever they need to and wherever they are in Australia or, indeed, the world;
- To provide enhanced learning
opportunities to disseminate knowledge and understanding throughout
Australia of Arabic language, heritage and culture;
- To better accommodate the individual preferences and needs of Arabic learners; and
- To provide another formal structure
within Australia that could help bridge understandings between the
Arabic-speaking world and Australia, thereby encouraging further
development of two-way trade and community ties between Australia and
the Middle East.
The objectives will be achieved via:
- The development of adequate Arabic on-line material as outlined above;
- Offering Arabic off-campus from Semester One 2007; and
- Making on-line material available to
on-campus, as well as off-campus, students. For the latter, it
will be supplemented by two telephone tutorials and a telephone oral
exam during the semester.
Deakin University’s Arabic language courses have been available
on the Melbourne campus of Deakin University since 1989. Deakin
Arabic is in keeping with the university’s mission and strategic
plans, the Faculty of Arts focus on globalisation and the
Government’s policy of increasing links with the Middle
East. The course produces graduates with linguistic skills and
cultural sophistication. Deakin Arabic is a well-established
language program in Australia with an emphasis on communicative
competence and innovative teaching methodologies. The program
serves the needs of both the Arabic/Australian community and the wider
Australian national interests. It is the emphasis on the use of
Arabic as a modern international language of diplomacy, trade and
culture that has distinguished this program and made it popular with
non-Arabic speaking students. The program has won national recognition
in Australia and graduates from the program have successfully found
full-time employment in government and business, both domestically and
internationally, sometimes before graduating.
Deakin University was one of the first Australian educational
institutions to respond to Government efforts to make tertiary
education programs more compatible with the needs of exportoriented
business and industry by pioneering, jointly with the Australia-Arab
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AACCI), the first combined degree
program in Arts (Arabic)/Commerce in Australia 1989. The program enjoys
the full support of AACCI and many other peak business organisations
that provide annual scholarships and internships to our students.
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